Aquiles Vergara Vicuña (12 June 1895 – 10 March 1968) was a Chilean military officer, writer, and Radical Party politician. He served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile from 1921 to 1924 and as Minister of Justice and Public Instruction in 1927.
Vergara published works on a range of political, military, and historical subjects. In 1927, he published a volume bringing together his speeches on educational reform and material concerning his tenure as Minister of Justice and Public Instruction.
He later became involved with the Bolivian Army during the Chaco War, fought between Bolivia and Paraguay from 1932 to 1935. Since 30s, Vergara spent his later life in Bolivia and died in La Paz in 1968, aged 72.
Early life Vergara was born in Viña del Mar on 12 June 1895, the son of Salvador Vergara Álvarez and Blanca Vicuña Subercaseaux. Through his mother, he was a grandson of historian and politician Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna. Vergara married Ana Petre Larenas in Coquimbo in 1923. The couple had no children.
He attended the Military Academy, graduating as an artillery second lieutenant. After attaining the rank of first lieutenant, Vergara was assigned to the Chilean legation in Cuba as a military attaché in 1918. He subsequently served in the same capacity in Spain and later attended the Chilean Army's War Academy.
During his time in Europe, Vergara became acquainted with writer Joaquín Edwards Bello, who encouraged him to write about his experiences abroad. In 1920, Vergara contributed a series of articles to El Mercurio describing his travels through cities in Spain and Portugal, including Córdoba, San Sebastián, and Sintra. He later collected these writings in book form.
Following the death of his father, Vergara returned to Chile. By then holding the rank of captain, he subsequently retired from the Chilean Army.
Political career Vergara joined the Radical Party, which nominated him as a candidate for the Chamber of Deputies in the 1921 parliamentary election. He was elected for the constituency of La Serena, Coquimbo and Elqui and served during the 1921–1924 legislative term. In the Chamber, he was a member of the Permanent Committee on Elections and the Permanent Committee on Foreign Relations and Colonization.
On 9 February 1927, President Emiliano Figueroa appointed Vergara Minister of Justice and Public Instruction. He remained in office following Carlos Ibáñez del Campo's assumption of the presidency and left the ministry on 6 September 1927.
In 1929, Vergara was appointed a councillor of the Caja de Crédito Hipotecario.
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